When her son compared his love for her to his favourite meal, SAM WOULIDGE felt she might have earned her motherhood credentials.
Seb was almost three when he learned how to say his full name, but instead of ending with his surname, he added, unprompted, Mamma se wonderwerk (mommy’s miracle) at the end. I realised then that the countless times I had held him in my arms and murmured “Jy is mamma se wonderwerk” (You are mommy’s miracle) must have led him to believe that this particular phrase was part of his name. And while it may not appear on his birth certificate, it is most certainly a part of his identity. He is my miracle.
I love being a mother; I love being Seb’s mother. But motherhood can be hard. It can leave you feeling inadequate, guilty, worried. You constantly doubt yourself, obsessing about whether or not you are good enough; if you are doing right by your child; if other mothers are better at this than you are. The bits of motherhood I know I’m good at are the loving him parts. The hugs, the kisses, the conversations, the laughter, the shared afternoon naps, the reading of books, the drying of tears, the carpool karaoke. These are the things that come naturally.
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